Automatic cigarette catcher



Feb.v 18, 1969 mm 3,427,782

AUTOMATIC CIGARETTE CATCHER Filed May 18, 1965 Sheet of 6 FIG.IV

INVENTOR. GOFFREIDO GAMBERINI Feb. 18, 1969 Filed May 18, 1965 G. GAMBERINI AUTOMATIC CIGARET'I E CATCHER Sheet 3 of.6

INVENTOR. GOFFREDO GAMBERINI Feb. 18, 1969 g magmN-l 3,427,782

AUTOMATIC CIGARETTE CATCHER Filed May 18. 1965 Sheet of 6 FIG.3

I 2/ ms 606 306 I N VEN TOR.

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GOFFREDO GAMBERINI I Feb. 18, 1969 G.GAMBER|NI AUTOMATIC CIGARETTE CATCHER File d May 18, 1965 Sheet INVENTOR.

GOFFKEQO GAMBERINI BY 2 4 66% W Nv Feb. 18, 1969 e. GAMBERINI AUTOMATIC CIGARETTE CATCHER Sheet Filed May 18, 1965 INVENTOR.

, GOFFREDO GAMBERINI United States Patent Office US. Cl. 53-78 Int. Cl. B65b 57/18, 19/04 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An automatic cigarette catcher in which cigarettes are counted while moving along a conveyor, and in response to a predetermined count, a group of the cigarettes is pushed off the conveyor into a container.

This invention relates to an automatic cigarette catcher, that is a machine for collecting and introducing into appropriate trays cigarettes produced, for example, by a cigarette maker.

In accordance with a feature of the invention, this machine consists of an endless cigarette conveyor, means for counting conveyed cigarettes, a cigarette intercepting and grouping element which intercepts the cigarette movement on said conveyor after a preestablished number of cigarettes has passed under the counter, and a pusher which moves in a transversed direction in relation to the cigarette feeding direction, for the transfer of a horizontal row of grouped and counted cigarettes into an appropriate tray which is lowered in order to accommodate a new row of cigarettes above the previous row.

Other features of the invention will be better understood in the course of the detailed description which is accompanied by the attached drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side view in cross section of the tray filler, taken substantially on line II of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 2 is a front view of machine of FIGURE 1, with cutaway parts;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of a device for cigarette counting and interception;

FIGURE 4 is an elevational view of the same unit taken substantially on line lV-IV of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is an elevational view of the same unit taken substantially on line VV of FIGURE 3 and;

FIGURE 6 is a corresponding elevational View taken substantially on line VI-VI of FIGURE 3.

With reference to the drawings and particularly to FIGURES 1 and 2, the illustrated machine consists of a structure 1, of which the lower part constitutes the I housing of the filled cigarette trays 2; a central area in which a cigarette conveyor consisting of belts 3, 103 moves and an upper area comprising the two upright elements 4, 104 between which the empty trays 102 (being filled) are guided, these trays being carried by appropriate supporting means on a pair of endless chains 202 which lower the trays one step at a time after a row or horizontal layer of cigarettes has been transferred into each tray. For this purpose, a pushing element 5, protruding parallel to a side of the cigarette conveying element 3, transfers a cigarette layer into the tray 102, being 3,427,782 Patented Feb. 18, 1969 filled, every time said row is completed, by means of a transversal displacement which sweeps the complete cigarette row from the conveyor belts 3, 103. After this movement, the tray is moved one step down, corresponding to the height of a cigarette. The cigarettes fed to the above transfer station, are counted, and for this purpose, a photosensitive unit 6, has been provided for counting the cigarettes fed onto the conveyor (see FIGURES 3 to 6). With this photosensitive unit cooperate, for the purposes later on specified, a device 7 which stops temporarily the cigarettes fed onto the conveyor 3, and a device 8 for stopping and grouping the cigarettes (see FIGURES 3 to 6).

The device 7 for stopping the cigarette temporarily will now be described with particular reference to FIG- URES 3, 4 and 5.

This stopping device 7 consists of a lever arm 107 hinged at one end to the shaft 207, which is supported between a pair of coaxial bushings carried by an upright bracket 307 fastened to the machine bed. To the other end of the lever 107 is fastened, at a right angle, an arm 407 which protrudes as a bracket up to the rear of the cigarette conveyor path. The conveyor consists, as better illustrated in FIGURES 3 and 5, of a pair of parallel belts 3, 103 spaced at a distance one from the other less than the cigarette length. To the end of the arm 407 is fastened a block 507 on which cigarettes may slide and which is capable of protruding between the belts 3, 103 when the lever 107 oscillates upward thus lifting the cigarettes from the conveyor and, consequently, stopping them temporarily. For this purpose, lever 107 is hinged with its intermediate part to the stem 607 which is connected to the movable core of an electromagnet 707.

A spring 807 placed between a washer, integral with the stem 607 and a fixed part, pushes the stem 607 continuously upward, in opposition to the action of the electromagnet, thus bringing the sliding block 507 into cigarette interception position. Consequently, when the electromagnet 707 is energized, the cigarettes are fed undisturbed beyond the counting station, and as soon as the electromagnet 707 is deenergized, the feed is interrupted.

The photosensitive device 6 which counts the cigarettes is positioned above the cigarette conveyance path. This device consists of a photosensitive element 106 (for example a phototransistor or the like) and a light source 206. Both the phototransistor and the light source 206 are carried by suitable rotatable clamps 306, which are in turn supported by a rod system and supporting clamps 406, 506 and 606. The upright rod 606 is fastened to the machine bed 706, as better illustrated in FIGURE 4. The photosensitive unit is so disposed as to detect the passing cigarettes and send an electrical impulse for each passing cigarette.

With further reference to FIGURES 3 and 6 the cigarette intercepting device 8, will now be described.

This device consists of a block 108, slidable on a circular section guide 308 passing through the hole 208 of above block 108. Under the block 108 a fluted guide 408 is fastened to the machine bed. Between both edges of the guide 408 there rolls a bearing 508 which is secured by means of a suitable shaft 908 to the above block 108, so that the movement of said block 108 is guided between the guides 308 and 408.

On a side of the block 108 is secured an L support element 9 which has an aperture on its free flange aligned with an aperture in block 108. A pin 10, to which is hinged a hub 11, passes through these two apertures with the interposition of suitable ball bearings. From the hub 11 there extends upwardly a short radial arm 111, from which a pin 211 extends parallel to the axis of the hub 11. This pin enters the space between the two fork arms 608708 integral with the block 108. These fork arms are provided with an aperture into which are screwed two axially aligned opposed pins 808, constituting gauges cooperating with the pin 211 in order to limit the oscillating movement of the hub 11.

At the side of the hub 11 there protrudes radially an arm 12 to which is secured a bracket arm 13 which in turn carries a lever arm 14 extending up to the cigarette counting area. This lever arm 14 carries at its end tongue pieces 15, which are projected in the cigarette path, between the belts 3 and 103, for intercepting cigarettes as will be more fully described hereinafter.

The hub 11 is also provided at the bottom with two fork arms 16 between which is hinged an end of a connecting rod 17 the other end of which is hinged to the end of an actuating lever 18 which is oscillated through cam operated means, not illustrated.

From the block 108 there also protrudes a pin 19 which cooperates with a microswitch 20 controlling the electromagnet 707.

The described device operates as follows:

With reference, first, to FIGURES l and 2, it is assumed that the combined belt conveyor 3, 103 is in operation. This conveyor rotates uninterruptedly during the entire machine operating cycle and conveys the cigarettes from a feed station (not illustrated) to the transfer station, in the area of the pusher 5. A fixed element 105, positioned transversely of the cigarette path stops the cigarette movement at the end of the transfer station, without, however, interfering with the movement of the underlying belts 3.

The cigarette feed to the transfer station occurs substantially in two distinct periods. At first, feeding consists of a sufficiently compact group of cigarettes which had been previously held by the intercepting tongue pieces 15 before the cigarette counting station, as will be described hereinafter.

This compact group comprises the major part of the cigarette row and is conveyed by the belt 3 when the tongue pieces 15 are lowered below the cigarette path. This compact group is followed by a certain quantity of cigarettes until the counter has detected that the exact number of cigarettes required for completing the row has been fed. At this moment, the electromagnet is deenergized causing the braking block 507 to be pushed upward between the belts 3, 103 by means of the spring 807, and to brake at the same time the movement of the cigarettes conveyed between said belts so as to provide a slight separation between the last counted cigarette of a group and the first cigarette of the following group thus enabling the tongue pieces 15 to insert themselves between the above two cigarettes, after the lever 18 has run part of its travel in the direction of the arrow A of FIGURE 4. Said lever begins, in fact, its travel after the intervention of the braking block 507 and its initial movement is transmitted, through the connecting rod 17 and the fork 16, to the hub 11, which rotates around its axis until the pin 211 contacts the gauge pin 808 of the arm 708 at the head of the block 108. This oscillating movement of the hub 11 determines the oscillation of the arm 12 and, consequently, of the arm 14 which carries the intercepting tongue pieces 15 which are thus caused to insert themselves between the above two cigarettes. After the insertion of the tongue pieces 15, the braking block 507 goes down due to the energization of the electromagnet 707, resulting from the pin 19, integral with the block 108, moving away from the switch 20. After the contact be- Cit tween the pins 211 and 808, the lever 18, determines, by its movement, the sliding of the block 108 on the guide 308 in the direction of the arrow B of FIGURE 3.

While the block 108 is sliding, the tongue pieces 15 move parallel to themselves, followed by the cigarettes fed upstream. They accompany in their movement the cigarettes which are downstream, and group them in the transfer station at the transferring element 5. After the tongue pieces 15 have reached the position illustrated with dotted lines in FIGURE 6, the lever 18 remains stationary to enable the tongue pieces 15 to form a wall for containing the cigarettes laterally and for guiding them during their transfer so that they can be discharged positively into the collecting tray.

Now the transferring element 5 comes into action. It sweeps all the cigarette row present on the belts 3, 103 between the tongue pieces and the stop 105, and transfers them into the tray 102. The tray is then lowered by one step corresponding to the thickness of a cigarette. At the end of this transfer operation, the element 5 returns to its original position while the block 108 starts, pushed by the lever 18, the return movement in the reverse direction.

The reverse movement of the lever 18, operated similarly to all its other movements by a suitable cam, determines an oscillation of the hub 11 in a direction opposite to the previous one. This causes the pin 211 to lean against the stop 808 of the arm 608, and the arm 14 carrying the tongue pieces 15 is lowered under the conveyor plane thus freeing cigarettes, which in the meantime had built up behind the tongue piece.

Said cigarettes are conveyed towards the transfer station by the conveyor 3, 103 and while being conveyed they are accurately counted. Meanwhile, the block 108 has reached the starting position and actuates the switch 20 by means of the arm 19, and sets the electromagnet for deenergization as soon as the counter 206 will have counted the required number of cigarettes.

As illustrated in the FIGURE 1, the trays are lowered step by step between the upright bars 4 and 104. When a completely filled tray reaches the bottom of the housing at the bottom of the machine, it is transferred by suitable means out of the conveying endless chain supports, on a collecting surface at the bottom of the machine, from where the trays can be removed easily.

Obviously, the present invention is not limited to what has been illustrated and described, but it comprises all those constructive forms and variations falling within the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for collecting cigarettes in receiving trays comprising an endless conveyor formed of spaced belts, means for counting conveyed cigarettes, means for grouping cigarettes moving on said conveyor, pusher means for transferring a group of cigarettes into receiving trays, and means for intercepting said cigarettes on the counting of a group of cigarettes comprising a tongue, means for projecting said tongue between said belts and simultaneously moving said tongue in the direction of movement of said cigarettes to intercept the cigarettes upstream of said counted group and to move the last of said counted group in the direction of movement of said conveyor.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 in which said cigarette intercepting tongue piece is carried by an oscilating lever secured to a block moving in the same direction as the cigarette belt conveyor, cam-operated driving means for actuating said block, means for actuating the oscillating lever carrying said intercepting tongue pieces into intercepting position when said block moves in the direction of the cigarette flow, means for holding said oscillating lever for an interval and means for then restoring said lever to the nonintercepting position as soon as said block reverses its movement and returns to the starting position.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, having an electromagnet and a cigarette counter for controlling said magnet, a braking block responsive to said magnet, means coacting With said magnet for actuating said block between said belts to act as a temporary brake for said cigarettes.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said tongue comprises an elongated arm pivoted at one end beneath the downstream end of the conveyor and having its other end upstream thereof including a terminal finger for intercepting the moving cigarettes and a rest for slight- 1y supporting cigarettes.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 characterized in that the pusher means for transferring the grouped cigarettes is mounted parallel to and above said cigarette conveyor and includes means for actuating said pushing means so as to push a group of cigarettes transversely of the conveyor and for returning said pushing means to its starting position, said return movement being rectilinear 6 to and spaced from the pushing movement so as to permit the cigarettes to be moved in the direction of feed on said conveyor.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS TRAVIS S. MCGEHEE, Primary Examiner.

R. L. SPRUILL, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 53148, 236 

